Apparatus for gathering sheets or signatures of books.



PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

' G. E. BEINHARDT. 4

8 OF BOOKS.

APPARATUS FOR GATHE ING SHEETS 0R SIGNATURE APPLICATION FILED P313. 6. 1903. A

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented June 16, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE;

GUSTAV EDMUND REINHARDT, OF LEIPZIG-CONNEWITZ, GERMANY,

ASSIGNOR TO JOHN BERNARD MERCER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR GATHERING SHEETS OR SIGNATURES OF BOOKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0.'731,221, dated June 16, 1903. Application filed February 6. 1903. Serial No. 142,186. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV EDMUND REIN- HARDT, a subject ofv the Emperor of Germany, residing at l/Vaiseuhausstrasse, Leipzig-Connewitz, in the Empire of Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Gathering Sheets or Signatures of Books or other Publications, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements on the apparatus for gathering sheets or signatures of books or other-publications described in the specification of the prior patent granted to John Bernard Mercer and bearing number 628,829, dated July 11, 189.).

In the apparatus described and claimed in the specification of above-mentioned patent suitable apparatus is employed for taking a single sheet or signature from each of the piles of same and delivering them in successionto a traveling belt to which an intermittent step-by-step motion is imparted.

According to the prior patent above referred to a suction apparatus is employed for removing the bottom sheet or signature from each of the piles and bringing it to such position that it can be readily seized by grippers, which carry it over the traveling band and release same, so that it falls upon that part thereof which is at that moment under the grippers in question. 1 The present invention relatcsmore especially to improvements in the abovementioned parts of the collecting or gathering apparatus and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichm Figure 1 is a vertical section of the part of the apparatus embodying such features. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the part of Fig. 1, illustrating the improvements in the suction or sheet-removing-device; and Fig. 3 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, of the same feature, but showing it in its intermediate lowered position, as hereinafter described.

It will be seen that the grippers, consisting of a pair of arms 1 2, are carried at the bottom end of a lever 3, mounted on a shaft 4, capable of turningin hearings in the frame 14: of the machine. A-reciprocatiug rotary movemont is imparted to the lever 3, carrying the grippers, by means of an eccentric 5, mounted on the driving-shaft 6 and connected by rod 7 to an arm 8, which is also mounted on v the shaft 4. The bottom arm 1 of the-grippers is stationary in relation to the lever 3, carrying same, while the top arm 2 of such grippers can turn in relation to the latter. Such arm 2 is extended beyond the point where it is pivoted to lever 3 and connected to toggle or jointed levers 9 10, which also reciprocate with lever 3. The extension of arm 2 of the grippers is continued beyond the pivot of 'toggle-lever 9 and connected by a spring 11 to the upper toggle-lever 10. Fixed stops or abutments 12 13 are arranged on the frame 14,. A pin 15 is mounted toward the upper end of lever 3, carrying the grippers, and is capable of sliding transversely through same, such pin being brought into contact with the fixed stop 12 at the extremity of the forward movement of the lever.

It will be seen that the action of the apparatus is as follows: The eccentric 5 through rod 7 and arm 8 will'impart reciprocating motion to lever 3, carrying the grippers. This forward movement of lever 3 brings the grippers into the position for seizing the sheet or signature which has been removed from the bottom of the pile b; be suction apparatus to be hereinafter described, and at the extreme forward movement the pin 15 coming into contact with the fixed stop 12 will be forced backward, and its rear end coming into contact with the upper toggle-lever 10 will in its turn force the latter backward until the lower toggle-lever 9 closes the grippers, thus seizing the sheet, The spring 11 will retain the grippers in the closed position, and the the lower toggle-lever 9 open the grippers,

thus releasing the sheet, which will fall upon that part of the intermittently-traveling endless band 16, which is immediately below same. The spring-11 will then act so as to hold the grippers open until eccentric 5 causes lever 3 to again travel forward in order torubbing contact therewith seize a new sheet or signature, when the action will be repeated.

A retaining-hook 35 is pivoted on the toggle-levors 9 l0 and can be turned so as to be brought 0 rcra pin 36 onthelever 3, carrying the grippers, whereby the action of the toggle-levers to open and close the latter during the backward and forward travel of lever 3 will be prevented, this being necessary in order to prevent sheets from all the piles being se'ized by the respective grippers at the commencement or'end of the running of the machine, at which period the machine minder or attendant has to engage or disengage such' books from their pins-so as to bring the grippers into or throw'them out of operation in succession.

The suction apparatus for removing; the undersheet or signature from each of the piles of same consists efa sucker-bar 17, capabledf a rotary-reciprocating movement on a pivot 18 and actuateththrough levers 19 20. by a dlim 21, also mounted upon the drivingshaft 6, such cam. being constrilcted so that the sucker-par 17 has twgdistinct movements imparted thereto in its ownward travel, the object of this being to first carry the bottom sheet or signature removed flOim the pilesof same to the 'necessary position to be seized by the @ippers 1 2 and then when such sheet or signature has been seized to make a further descent, so that the backward'movementiof such grippers will not cause the sheet-or sigmnature it carries to.rub over the edges of'tl e: suckers 22. By this means thesuckers are prevented from becoming worn and thereby interfering with their action in properly seizing the bottom sheet ortsignature under the influence of the vacuum produced in such suckers byzany suitable form of suction apparatus to which they are connected.

Fig. 3 shows the sucker-bar 17 in its first or intermediate lowered position, when the sheet it has caushd to descend is ready to loo-seized by the grippers, and the broken line 23 shows the position of such bar when it has descended to its fullextent. Theft-out end of a bar 24 is curved upward and when the sucker-bar 17 isinits lowest position projects through a slot 25, ormed in thelatter, so as to extend up ward b yond the top of the suckers 22, and by coming intoicontact with the under side of the removed sheetor signature thus support same free from the edges thereof and keep it out of during the backward movement of the grippers.

The downward movement of the sucker-bar might cause more than one sheet or signatureto be carried to' the position for being seized by the grippers, and in order to prevent this I arrange brushes 26 in the path of travel of the outward free end of the sheet or signa ture, so that the rubbingcontaot between such free end and said brushes will produce a dragging or retarding action, such as to separate the top superposed sheet or sheets from the bottom sheet acted upon by the suckers 22, and thus prevent same following such bottom sheet in its movement to present itself to the grippers. l 1

In order to return any sheet or sheets retained by the brushes 26 during the downward movement of the sucker-bar 17 to the proper position to be seized by such suckers at their next upward movement and also to 7 correct any tendency which the sheets at the under side of the pile may have to sag when the bottom sheet is removed, I em ploy the arrangement shown in the drawings and which consists in a bar 27, to which rotary motion is imparted. For this purpose the bar 27 is mountedpn a pivot 28, carrying a pinion 29, gearing with a rack 30, capable ofsliding in guides 31 and formed on a bar,and

a reciprocating the lower end of which is connected through a link 32 to a pivoted lever 33, the opposite end of which is acted upon by a cam 34, mounted on the driving-shaft 6. The action of this cam is to cause the bar-carrying rack 30 to move downward in its the sucker-bar 17 is in its lowered position, and thus cause the bar 27 to turn upward and thereby raise any she'et retained by the, brushes 26 to, its proper position on the unguides 31 when der side of the pile of sheets or signatures and hold it there until the sucker'bar again rises and by its suckers seizes the next sheet or signature to be delivered, when (through the contiiiued action of'cam 34) the movementor the rack 30wil1 be reversed and bar.Ioo

27- moved downward,so as to leave the suckerbar 17 free for its next descent with the fresh sheet it has secured. e

In order to indicate to the machine ,minder or attendant when one of gripping apparatus is or are not from any cause efiiciently operating, a 'visible signal 37 is employed, which is mounted so that it can swing on a pivot 38 and is operated by the or more of the series r05 grippers when same are acting efficiently,- but 1 I0 remains stationary when the grippers are inoperative. For this purpose a series of visible signals or disks 3?, numbered sucessively to correspond with the particular pair of grippers each belongs to, are mounted so that I z 5 they can swing on the pivot 38, and when the grippers l '2 'move forward a projection thereon will carry thesignal to the position shown infull lines in 'Fig. 1, while in the backward movement edges of the sheet held by same coming in contact with the lower end of the arm carrying the signal 3'! will carry the latter back to the position shown in broken lines in such figure. grippers move backward without carrying a sheet the signal 37 will remain in its forward position, and consequently out of line with the other signals which have been duly actuated by the backward movement of their spective grippers, and the attendant will consequently at once see that one or more of the of such grippers the 12c It will therefore be seen that if the x25 grippers is or are not operating and by the number on the particular signal disk or disks ing lever, means for reciprocating said lever,

one of which is pivoted,

a pair of grippers, V mounted on the free end of said lever, togglejointed levers connected with the pivoted gripper for operating the latter, fixed stops at the extreme points of oscillation of the reciprocating lever, for operating the toggle-levers and pivotedv gripper, a pivoted suckerbar for drawing down the bottom sheet of a pile of signatures, and brushes fixed at the front of the pile of signatures, for separating the superposed sheets from said bottom sheet, to present the latter to the grippers.

'2. The combination of apivoted reciprocating sucker-bar for acting upon the bottom sheet of a pile of signatures in the machine, a traveling band for receiving said signatures,

a pair of grippers for seizing and conveying said bottom sheet to said band, means for reciprocating and operating said grippers, in cooperation with said sucker-bar, a fixed bar for holding the bottom sheet clear of the suckers during the backward movement of said grippers and sheet, and means for imparting two successive movements to the sucker-bar in its descent, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of a pivoted reciprocat ing sucker-bar for acting upon the bottom sheet of a pile of signatures, and brushes fixed at the front of the pile of signatures, for arresting and separating from said bottom sheet the superposed sheets, as the bottom sheet is carried down by the movement of the suckerbar, substantially as specified.

4. The combination of a pivoted reciprocating sucker-bar having a slot 25, a fixed upwardly-curved bar beneath the sucker-bar, projecting through said slot as the sucker-bar descends, a pivoted reciprocatory supportingbar at the front of the pile of signatures,means for oscillating the sucker-bar, and means for oscillating the supporting-bar in synchronism with the movements of the sucker-bar.

5. Thecombination with pivoted reciprocating grippers, a pivoted reciprocating suckerbar for separating the bottom sheet of a pile of signatures, and a pivoted reciprocating supporting-bar, of a visual signal carried on a pivoted oscillating rod in the path of the bottom sheet separated by said grippers, to indicate the operativeness or nou-operativeness of said grippers, substantially as specified.

' In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV EllllL'Nl) lil'llh'lL-Hib'l.

Witnesses:

GEORG Linus, W. QUEREE. 

